[Advaita-l] The Advaitic meaning of 'Aham Brahmasmi' alone is correct - Skandapurana

[V Subrahmanian]

In this chapter it is clearly stated the kind of realization those who have
acquired the direct knowledge, aparoksha jnanam, will have:
स्कन्दपुराणम्/खण्डः १ (माहेश्वरखण्डः)/केदारखण्डः/अध्यायः ३१
https://sa.wikisource.org/s/gz2
<https://sa.wikisource.org/s/gz2?fbclid=IwAR1O3F4JqPvitCMSn4dgkVTOtVqWneRmWkkDtkU47t3l-qQMt2vVb1maLDU>
निरंतरं निर्गुणं ज्ञप्तिमात्रं निरंजनं निर्विकाशं निरीहम्॥
सत्तामात्रं ज्ञानगम्यं स्वसिद्धं स्वयंप्रभं सुप्रभं बोधगम्यम्॥ ३१.५३ ॥
The above says that the Vedantic Brahman is Nirguna only, Chaitanyarupa
Self-manifest. Further -
एतज्ज्ञानं ज्ञानविदो वदंति सर्वात्मभावेन निरीक्षयंति॥
सर्वातीतं ज्ञानगम्यं विदित्वा येन स्वस्थाः समबुद्ध्या चरंति॥ ३१.५४ ॥
This knowledge is experienced as 'I am the Self of everything/everyone.'
This is the premise of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad in 1.4.10 Aham Brahmasmi:
ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीत्तदात्मानमेवावेत् । अहं ब्रह्मास्मीति ।
तस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवत्
Brahman knew Itself as 'Aham Brahmasmi' and 'became everything itself.' In
other words, it gave up its sense of being a limited being, knowing that it
was the spirit present in all.
तद्यो यो देवानां प्रत्यबुध्यत स एव तदभवत्तथर्षीणां तथा मनुष्याणां
तद्धैतत्पश्यनृषिर्वामदेवः प्रतिपेदेऽहं मनुरभवं सूर्यश्चेति ।
Thus, if anyone, a god, a man, a sage, knows himself as Aham Brahmasmi, it
results in the realization of one's infinitude. Sage Vamadeva came to such
a realization and declared his all-selfhood thus: 'I was Manu, I was
Surya..'
The same Sarvaatma Bhava is said in that Upanishad and is also present in
this passage of the Skanda purana.
Brahmasutra Bhashya of Shankaracharya 3.3.32:
‘तद्धैतत्पश्यन्नृषिर्वामदेवः प्रतिपेदेऽहं मनुरभवं सूर्यश्च’ (बृ. उ. १ । ४ ।
१०) इति च सम्यग्दर्शनकालमेव तत्फलं सर्वात्मत्वं दर्शयति । तस्मात् ऐकान्तिकी
विदुषः कैवल्यसिद्धिः ॥ ३२ ॥
Taittiriya Bhashya: अनुसञ्चरन् सर्वात्मना इमान् लोकानात्मत्वेन अनुभवन् ।
'With sarvaatma bhaava he traverses all these worlds with the experience
that he is the Atman of everything/everyone....'
अतीत्य संसारमनादिमूलं मायामयं मायया दुर्विचार्यम्॥
मायां त्यक्त्वा निर्ममा वीतरागा गच्छंति ते प्रेतराणिनर्विकल्पम्॥ ३१.५५ ॥
संसृतिः कल्पनामूलं कल्पना ह्यमृतोपमा॥
यैः कल्पना परित्यक्ता ते यांति परमां गतिम्॥ ३१.५६ ॥
This sentence tells us that samsara is imaginary and not real.
शुक्त्यां रजतबुद्धिश्च रज्जुबुद्धिर्यर्थोरगे ॥
मरीचौ जलबुद्धिश्च मिथ्या मिथ्यैव नान्यथा॥ ३१.५७ ॥
The analogies of shell-silver, rope-snake, and mirage water are given to
exemplify bondage, samsara. In other words samsara/bandha is unreal.
सिद्धिः स्वच्छंदवर्त्तित्वं पारतंत्र्यं हि वै मृषा॥
बद्धो हि परतंत्राख्यो मुक्तः स्वातंत्र्यभावनः॥ ३१.५८ ॥
The jiva's dependence comes from ignorance. And non-dependence on
anything/anybody is the nature of the Atman.
एको ह्यात्मा विदित्वाथ निर्ममो निरवग्रहः॥
कुतस्तेषां बंधनं च यथाखे पुष्पमेव च॥ ३१.५९ ॥
There is no multiplicity in Atman; there is only one divine form. Bondage
to such an infinite Atman is not possible. Bondage is akin to a sky-flower.
शशविषाणमेवैतज्त्रानं संसार एव च॥
किं कार्यं बहुनोक्तेन वचसा निष्फलेन हि॥ ३१.६० ॥
Bondage is like the hare's horn.
All these doctrinal points are acceptable only in Advaita. These are
extremely detrimental to other schools.
Om tat sat